Latch foe automobile boors and the like



Dec. 6, 1927. 1,651,724

L. J. MORGAN LATCH FOR AUTOMOBILE DOORS AND THE LIKE Origiyal Filed Feb. 12. 1923 i 6 7 g 5 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS I door.

Patented Dec. 6, l927.-

units stares LEwIs .'r.; MORGAN, or SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

rarest LATCH FOR AUTOMOBILE noons AND THE LIKE.

Original application filed February 12, 1922;eria1 No. 536,592. Dividedand this application filed October 3, 1924.

This invention relates to latches for doors and has for itsobject a particularly simple and efficient mechanism for doors as automobile doors by which the handle can be ad 5 justed into different angular positions to conform to the incline or. angle of the door 1 and the curve of the outer surface of the This latch is of the same general type as that shown in my application Sr. No.

586,592, filed February 12, 1922 of which this application is a division.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed;

In describing this invention. reference is hadto the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views; Y V

Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating my door latch and the contiguous portion of the door. Y

Figure 2 is an elevation looking to the left in Figure '1. g Figure 3-is a face view of the latch shown in Figure 1, thedoor being omitted and: the

shank or shaft of the handle. being in section.

Figures 4: and 5 arerespectively a side elevation and an edge view of the ball of the socket joint and the cam pivoted thereto.

Figure 6 is a plan view looking down wardly in Figure 1, the contiguous part of the latch oasingbeing shown.

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view on the line of 7-7, Figure 3. r a As is well known to those skilled in the art, the doors of automobiles are slightly in-' clined out of a vertical plane and also the doors and especially the outer surfaces thereof curve or bulge to conform to the lines of the car body.

This invention relates to means whereby the handle of the latch member can be read- I ily positioned at any desired angle irrespective of the incline of the door and the latch casing and of the curve or bulge of the outer surface of the door. 7

This door latch mechanism comprises a casing, a latch member movable in the easing and operating means comprising a handle mounted to have a universal adjusting action relatively to the casing, the handle being connected to a ball mounted in the casing to have a universal joint adjusting Serial No. 741,472. a

movement and this ball having a cam extending radially outwardly therefrom and pivoted thereto on an axis extending transversely of the shank or shaft of the handle, the cam coacting with the latch. Alsothe cam and the latch member having coact-, ing faces which are socketed one in the other atv a point remote from the pivot of the cam so that the cam remains in practically the same relation to the latch member in all adjustments of the ball in its socket.

I 1 designates the casing which may be of any suitable form, size and construction, it

being usually formed of opposing walls of sheet metal formed with suitable guides for a' latch member 2. This latch member is t here shown as a bolt reciprocally movable in the casing between the opposing walls thereof and pressed in one direction by a spring 3,

the ball has a universal movement. As here I shown, the casingis formedwith flanges 6 flaring around circular holes in the walls of the casings. which flanges form a socket.

-7 is the handle which has the shaft 8 extending through the door 9'from the outer side thereof andbeing connected to the ball. As here shown, one of these parts so connected and usually the ball. is provided with the door or rather to remain stationary in so far as lateral movement is concerned in any adjustment of the ball to conform to the angle of the shank 8 of the handle 7. "The pivot 12 extends in a direction crosswise of the shaft 8. The cam'coacts with an angular arm 13extending from the boltor latch member 2 and this arm 13 and the cam are I provided with interfitting engaging faces at 14 or faces which socket one within the other. Usually one of these parts as the arm 13 is formed with a concave face and the cam with a convex or spherical face 15 remote from the pivot of the cam so that durcomprising a ing the movement of the ball to conform to the angle of the shank 8. Upon the initial installation of the handle, the cam is held from rocking movement with the ball bythe.

interfitting faces at 14.

In operation, the casing-1 is; attached to the inner side of the door or the frame thereof and the hole for the shank 8 of the handle can be located in any desired position or angle to conform to the incline and curve of the door, difiierent curves and 1116111165 being shown by full and broken lines in Figures 1 and 2. The shaft can then be inserted in the axial hole-of the ball irrespective of the incline or bulge of the door. The shank-'8' or handle 7 is held from axial displacement l. A door latch mechanism com risin a- V V n casing formed with a socket, alatchmember movable in thecasing, and operating means cam coacting with the latch, a ball mounted in the 'socket', a connection between the ball and the cam to permit adjusting movement of the ball in thesocket relatively to the cam and the latch memb er.

2. A door latch mechanism'comprising a casing formed with a socket,a latch member movable in the casing, and operating means comprising a-rocking-cam, a hall mounted in the socket, the cam being pivoted to the ball and a handle having a shaft. connected-to the-ball.

3. A do-orlatch mechanism comprising a casing formed with a socket,.a latch member movable in the casing, andoperating means. comprising a cam coacting with the latch member, a ball mounted in the socket, the cam being pivoted to the'ball, and a handle having a shaft connectedto' the ball, the pivot of the cam extending in a" direction transversely of the axis ofthe shaft.

4. A door latch mechanism; comprising'a casing formedwith a socket, a latch member;

movable in the casing and operating: means comprising a shaft, a rocking cam coactmg for theshaft connected to the ball, the'ball being formed with an axiallyextending "passage-for receiving the shaft.

' 6. A door latch mechanism comprising'a' casing formed with a socket, a latch member movable 1n the casing, and operating means comprising a cam coacting with the latch, a ball mounted in the socket, a connection between the ball and the cam topermit adjusting movement of the ball in the -socket rela tivelyto the cam and the latch-inember, the latch member and the cam having *their coacting faces, one socketed' in the other, to hold the cam engaged with the latch member during the adjusting movement of theball to the handle.

7. A door latch mechanism comprising a casing formed with a-secket, a latch member movable in the casing, and operatmg means comprising a cam coacting with the'latch member, a'ball mountedin the-socket, the

cam being pivoted to the ball, and a handle:

having a shaft connected to the ball,"the

pivot of the cam extending in a direction transversely 'of'the axis of the shaft, the latch member and the cam having theirucoacting faces, one socketed in the other, .to'

h'old'ithe cam engaged with thelatch member during the adjusting movement of' the hall:

to the handle.-

In testimony. whereof, ,I have hereunto" signed my name at Syracuse, hithe; Count-y;

Y'LE'WISQJ. MORGAN. 

